‘The Luminaries’, which won Eleanor Catton the covetous 2013 Man Booker Prize on Tuesday, has been a publisher’s nightmare from the very beginning.
That is what says 28-year-old Catton, who thinks that is the reason why the prize has been incredible.
"The shape and the form of the
book made certain kinds of editorial suggestions not only mathematically impossible, but even more egregious, astrologically impossible," Xinhua quoted Catton as saying while accepting the award.

The judges said Catton's book, which beat five other contenders, is an exuberant and dazzling homage to Victorian sensation novels. 'The Luminaries' is a murder mystery set on the West Coast of the US during the 1860s gold rush that relies on an astrological narrative

Catton is only the second New Zealander to win the award. The first being Keri Hulme with 'The Bone People' in 1985. She is also the youngest short-listed writer in the competition's 45-year history.

The prize, announced at a ceremony in London, carries a cheque for NZ$95,000 ($78,000).

It follows in the footsteps of 'Pip' by Lloyd Jones, which was short-listed in 2007, and Hulme's 'The Bone People'. New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said Wednesday that winning the Booker Prize is a hugely significant achievement on the world stage for a New Zealander.